Actor Stephan Fry tells sex abuse victims to "grow up"

"Comedian and actor Stephen Fry was at it again this week, inciting plenty of social media outrage when he spoke to Dave Rubin about sensitivity and sexual abuse victims, reports The Telegraph. Criticizing those who avoid “trigger words,” Fry said, “There are many great plays which contain rapes, and the word rape now is even considered a rape.”

"They’re terrible things and they have to be thought about, clearly, but if you say you can’t watch this play, you can’t watch Titus Andronicus, or you can’t read it in an English class, or you can’t watch Macbeth because it’s got children being killed in it, it might trigger something when you were young that upset you once, because uncle touched you in a nasty place, well I’m sorry,” Fry said."

“It’s a great shame and we’re all very sorry that your uncle touched you in that nasty place – you get some of my sympathy – but your self pity gets none of my sympathy,” he continued. “Self pity is the ugliest emotion in humanity. Get rid of it, because no one’s going to like you if you feel sorry for yourself. The irony is we’ll feel sorry for you, if you stop feeling sorry for yourself. Just grow up.”

As a mental health advocate who suffers from depression and is also the president of mental health charity MIND, many were surprised by Fry’s comments, labelling them “hypocritical” and “dangerous.”

"Comedian and actor Stephen Fry was at it again this week, inciting plenty of social media outrage when he spoke to Dave Rubin about sensitivity and sexual abuse victims, reports The Telegraph. Criticizing those who avoid “trigger words,” Fry said, “There are many great plays which contain rapes, and the word rape now is even considered a rape.”

"They’re terrible things and they have to be thought about, clearly, but if you say you can’t watch this play, you can’t watch Titus Andronicus, or you can’t read it in an English class, or you can’t watch Macbeth because it’s got children being killed in it, it might trigger something when you were young that upset you once, because uncle touched you in a nasty place, well I’m sorry,” Fry said."

“It’s a great shame and we’re all very sorry that your uncle touched you in that nasty place – you get some of my sympathy – but your self pity gets none of my sympathy,” he continued. “Self pity is the ugliest emotion in humanity. Get rid of it, because no one’s going to like you if you feel sorry for yourself. The irony is we’ll feel sorry for you, if you stop feeling sorry for yourself. Just grow up.”

As a mental health advocate who suffers from depression and is also the president of mental health charity MIND, many were surprised by Fry’s comments, labelling them “hypocritical” and “dangerous.”